Resisting Ryann Read online

“He didn’t take it well, did he?” he says happily, sipping on his Coke.

  I close my eyes and blow out a breath. “I haven’t told him yet.” When I open them I think he’s ready to choke me. “Calm down. We’re going out tomorrow. And I plan on telling him then.”

  “How convenient,” he scoffs.

  “Look, it isn’t that big of a deal. We were never dating.”

  “According to whom?” he replies harshly. “Don’t make me regret not saying anything to Luke,” he points. “I did that for you, by the way.”

  Nice guilt trip. “I won’t. I’m going to tell him.”

  Luke

  “I’m sorry.” I tuck her hair behind her ear, so I can see her beautiful face. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  I want to tell her I came straight from Tucson, that I’ve been living there the past five months, and tonight, a woman I barely know is sleeping on my couch. There are so many unspoken truths between us, and I want to divulge it all, but decide it’s best I keep that information to myself … at least for now. I don’t want to upset her any more than I already have.

  She doesn’t seem bothered that I’ve showed up at four in the morning. I’m breaking all the rules, but I just couldn’t stay away from her. I haven’t stopped thinking about the other night. In fact, she’s all I think about.

  “Don’t apologize,” she murmurs softly. “I haven’t been sleeping since you left.”

  “Are you okay?” I ask, running my thumb along her jawline.

  She closes her eyes. “No, Luke. I’m not,” she says, hurt evident in her voice.

  I did this to her, and I feel like a giant piece of shit. “Then talk to me.” I bring her face toward me.

  She lifts her gaze to mine with anger in her features. “I want you to make love to me. No more excuses or holding back. This has gone on for far too long.”

  “You’re serious?” My brows shoot up, as my eyes scan her face. “That’s what’s gotten you upset?” I’m actually relieved.

  Biting the center of her lip, she slowly nods. I can tell she’s embarrassed.

  “Come here.” I smile. Picking her up by the waist, I place her over my lap. “If you know this is what you want, then it’s yours. I’ve been ready, Reese.” I cup her sweet face, as my heart thumps hard inside my chest.

  She smiles; straddling my hips, she leans down to press her mouth against mine. I brush back the dark curtain of hair that tickles my face, gently securing it behind her ear. She pulls away and laughs shyly. “Sorry,” she says, her cheeks turning a sexy shade of pink.

  I’m just trying to get better access. Those lips are calling for me to kiss them until they’re red and swollen. My mouth tips into a grin. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I scan her face for any apprehension. There are so many things I want to do with her—to her.

  “More than anything,” she answers. She’s glowing, and I feel like the devil corrupting her. The innocence in her green eyes captivates me. Flipping her onto her back, I crawl over her like a predator. Taking her wrists and stretching them above her head, I can see her breasts rise and fall in anticipation; she likes this. Knowing I’m the only one who’s gotten her worked up like this makes me feel like the luckiest man alive.

  A fire burns in her eyes before she lifts her neck and slams her mouth against mine. “I hate you,” she pants, biting down on my lip then licking the sting away. The words catch me by surprise, but this aggressive side is pretty sexy, and I’m harder than ever before. She wants me to take care of her now, and I plan to do that.

  Her tongue delves deep inside my mouth. She continues to lick and bite me. Groaning, I want to show her what she’s doing to me, so I let go of her wrists, grip her ass with one hand, and grind myself against her. Her head falls back and her lips part. Now it’s her turn to moan. “You like this?” I reach for the hem of her shirt, press my lips lightly against hers, then quickly tear it off, exciting her. “You want to play rough, I’ll show you rough.”

  She wraps her legs around me. I slip my tongue into her mouth again, kissing her deeply, then reach down and squeeze one of her breasts. But something isn’t right.

  “I’ll play however you want,” she says, tugging me closer, her thighs gripping me tighter. “There’s no reason to fight this, if it’s what we want.” What? I pull away, confused, then her eyes change color in front of me, morphing from green into brown as her skin begins to shed. What the hell? I try to roll off, but her arms pin me with a force that in no way could be human.

  “What are you?” I hiss. Her skin is ridiculously hot.

  She tips her head back with a wicked laugh. “Are you afraid?”

  Yeah, I think I am. I’m sweating profusely. “You’re skin … it’s on fire.”

  I hear a scratching on the door, jerking me awake. It takes a moment to catch my breath. A slow grin slides across my face, and I chuckle quietly. “That was intense.” Reese was an alien, and she was terrifying. I realize I’m covered in sweat and reach over to throw off the blanket, but my hand meets a long smooth leg.

  I react immediately, pinning her down by her throat. “Why the hell are you in my bed?”

  Her eyes widen in excitement.

  “Answer me, woman! Tell me why you’re here and not on the couch where you should be?”

  Finally, looking a little scared, Rachelle gasps, “Let go.”

  Releasing her, I climb out of bed, not knowing whether to apologize or yell at her again.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she snaps, pulling the sheet over her head.

  I narrow my eyes. “You were supposed to wake me, not cuddle me and shit! Damn!”

  She drops the sheet back down to her waist. Her eyes move to my morning wood. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it, happy hands.”

  “Happy what?” I ask, pointing to the bed. “Did I touch you?” I tug on my hair. “’Cause if I did, then I’m sorry. If you’d stayed on the couch, I wouldn’t need to explain it. I was in the middle of an intense dream.”

  She yawns. “Blame it on anything you want,” she says, running her fingers through the tangles in her hair. “Whatever strokes your ego.”

  “It has nothing to do with my ego, sweetheart. It’s the truth, and you weren’t a part of it.”

  She arches her brows nearly to her hairline. “Really? Then who was this lucky girl?”

  “Hell if I know. Some blonde with really big tits.” I motion with my hands. “Then you had to come along and ruin it.”

  Pursing her lips, she’s slowly analyzing me. “You’re lying,” she says.

  “You’re wasting my time,” I reply, grabbing a pillow. “You locked my dog out, by the way,” I tell her, making my way to the couch. Chance lies on the floor beside me. I reach down and pat him on the head. “Don’t blame me. She did it.”

  A moment later she’s moving about the kitchen, making sure to be extra loud. “What do you have to eat?”

  I fluff my pillow and turn on my side. “You have eyes. Use them.” Yeah, I’m being a dick. I don’t care.

  “Some host you are.” She searches restlessly through the cabinets, like the nutcase she is.

  I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. “I’m not trying to win any awards, sweetheart.”

  “It’s a good thing,” she retorts. “By the way, I need you to take me to pick up my phone. I’m going to find out where we’re meeting my guys … for the guns. Then I’ll run it through to your dad.”

  I hope this works and the deal goes smoothly. “Do me a favor. Don’t call him that,” I tell her, pinching the space between my brows.

  “Call who what?”

  “My dad.”

  “Sorry,” she says.

  Getting off the couch, I stretch my arms back and notice she’s only in a shirt—my shirt. She must have ditched the shorts last night, before she decided to climb into my bed and wrap her legs around me like a monkey.

  “What?” Her lips slowly curve into a smile. “Did I just catch you checking me out?
”

  Well shit. Was I? If I was, I sure as hell wasn’t meaning to. And now she’s biting her lip.

  The last thing I want to do is lead her on. I can’t blame the woman for trying. She doesn’t know I’m with someone, and therefore thinks I’m available. Avoiding her eyes, I tell her, “I’ll be in the shower. You going to put something on?” Some jeans, shorts, a skirt maybe—something to ease the guilt for whatever I did last night. Even though I’d never consciously touch her.

  “Way to change the subject.” She pours some cereal into a bowl then fills a glass with water. “Yeah, I’ve got clothes, but I want to enjoy your shirt a little longer.” Taking a long, slow whiff, she grins. “It smells good.”

  “You can keep it.” I’ll never wear it again.

  “Don’t do me any favors,” she grumbles. “It’s not like I haven’t worn a man’s shirt before.”

  “Fine. Don’t keep it then.” I walk toward my room. Thought I’d be nice for once, since she’s helping me out.

  “Okay, you talked me into it,” she says over my shoulder.

  “Look, I want to apologize for being rough with you this morning. I wasn’t expecting any company, and whether you believe me or not, I was in the middle of a pretty wild dream. Anyway, I’m sorry,” I say, gripping the steering wheel extra tight, as we look for our turn off. I glance over at Rachelle who appears to have dropped her mouth into her lap.

  “Well, well, well …” She grins. “You do have a heart. Apology accepted.”

  “Thank you.” I nod. “How much farther do we have to go, and do they know I’m coming?”

  “It should only be a couple more miles. The last sign we passed said six, and that was a few miles back,” she says, checking her phone. “And yes, they know you’re coming.” They had switched the meeting spot, back when we were at the gas station. We were headed in the opposite direction before they slapped us with the change. I guess the other spot had too many people, and they didn’t want to draw any attention.

  She sighs. “The sooner we get the guns, the sooner this ordeal will be over. Look! There it is.” She points to the exit.

  I veer toward the ramp. “You think they’re here already?”

  “I hope.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “A little. There’s always that chance something could go wrong.”

  We pull into the rest stop. There’s only one other car—a newer black BMW-7 series—and two men are stepping out of it with blank looks on their faces.

  “Did they say what car they’d be driving?”

  “No, but that’s got to be them,” she says confidently.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nods. “They said there’d be two men.” They’re wearing dark sunglasses and resemble each other.

  “Do you recognize them?”

  They look to be somewhere in their thirties, black-haired, clean cut, and well-dressed.

  “I can’t tell yet, but they’re looking this way. Pull in there. We’ll just load them right into the trunk.”

  “How much are we loading? You said it’s just a sample’s worth, correct?” Just as I’m parking the car, I hear a shatter in the back, before bullets are flying over my head. Slamming on the gas, I lie sideways. There’s glass all over the backseat, and my headrest just exploded all over me. “Shit! What was that?”

  Rachelle panics, crouching down. “I don’t know!” Her hands are trembling while she digs into her purse, pulling out a gun.

  I spin the car around and speed toward the exit, unable to see over the hood. Bullets are coming at me. More glass shatters on my side. If I’m hit, it’s my adrenaline keeping me alive.

  “Get us out of here, and try to stay down!” she shouts, shooting out my window, but she’s not really aiming at anything, just protecting herself from the bullets.

  Reaching for my gun, I swerve us onto the side road that’ll get us back to the highway. I have a split second to check her for injuries. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine! Just go!” she tells me, checking over her shoulder.

  When I glance in the rearview, I see them a few cars back and press harder on the gas. “Should have gone with the upgrade,” I say, switching lanes.

  “What?” she asks frantically.

  “I said, I should have gone with the upgrade, like a Porsche. The Mustang’s a rental.”

  The shots come again, and I duck down fast.

  “Why do you think they’re after us?”

  I examine the shattered windows, the backseat, the doors, and not a single bullet has hit the passenger side. I watch Rachelle suspiciously. “Are you lying?” Flicking my gaze to the rearview mirror, I add, “Setting me up?”

  Her eyes get huge. “What? No! I don’t know any more than you at this point!” She once again checks over her shoulder.

  Something sharp zips past my ear, and I instantly feel the sting. Bringing my hand up, blood oozes onto my fingers, before I move into the right lane. “You sure? There isn’t anything you need to tell me?” I spin around and step on the brake. A semi blocks their view just in time.

  “Oh my God, Luke you’re hit!”

  Grabbing my gun, I wait ‘til I get a clear shot of their two front tires, then one by one I blow them out. They swerve to the right, dipping down into the dirt, stirring up a thick cloud of dust. The car flips onto its side. I pop a bullet in the other two tires for the hell of it. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  “Luke! We need to get you out of here! Shit! Why didn’t I charge my phone?” She panics, slipping her gun back into her purse.

  Looking behind me toward the wreckage, I know they’re both still alive, but they better be hurting.

  “Do you need me to drive?”

  “It’s just a little blood,” I say, glancing at her. “It only grazed me.”

  She leans in to get a better look. “Are you sure? It’s more than you think,” she says, sounding genuinely scared.

  Speeding away from the scene, I tell her, “I’m fine.”

  “There’s no way those men are FBI,” she replies. “They couldn’t be.”

  I let out a sardonic laugh. “What was your first clue?”

  “Who were they? Why would they want us dead?”

  “You’re the fed. Figure it out.”

  “We don’t know everything,” she mumbles. “And sometimes my position makes me last to know certain things.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. They’re not after you.”

  She glances around the car. “I know how this may look,” she murmurs. “But truly, I have no idea who those men are. You believe me, don’t you?” Her brows pinch together.

  “I don’t know what I believe.”

  “Luke.”

  I grip the steering wheel even tighter than before. “Back at the gas station, who told you to switch locations?”

  Unable to meet my eyes, she says, “It was a text. It’s not uncommon, and they used the code.” She pauses. “Though it was from a number I didn’t recognize.”

  “What code?”

  “To authenticate our messages. There’s a code we use for safety reasons …” Her eyes widen. “To prevent incidents like this from happening.”

  “Then is there some kind of leak?”

  She frowns. “God, I hope not, but it’s possible.” She cringes. “Luke, you’re bleeding pretty bad. You sure you’re okay?”

  “I said I’m fine.”

  Tilting her head to think, she says, “What if Valdez set this up? Maybe he knows you turned him in?”

  “Maybe it was my father. I don’t trust him,” I reply.

  “No.” She shakes her head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. They’d be after both of us if that were the case. I don’t think it was Glenn.”

  “Guess you better call your friends and find out what the hell’s going on then.” She’s the one who got us into this mess in the first place, so she needs to figure it out.

  Crossing her arms in a huff, she says, “St
op staring at me like that.”

  I get off the highway and head to the shop. “You threw us into a warzone over a text. How do you expect me to stare at you?”

  “I explained it to you already. It’s not uncommon for us to communicate by text. Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere where you’re safer, which is far away from me.”

  “It was an honest mistake!”

  “I appreciate your honesty, but I’ve got shit to do.”

  Her mouth drops. “You have no idea how much you need me. I can help you,” she points out.

  “Did I ask for your help?” I cock a brow.

  “Doesn’t matter. You won’t make it here without it.”

  I park the Mustang and get out, slamming the door behind me. I don’t bother waiting for Rachelle. She’d been griping about having to pee for the last ten minutes, but I didn’t care, telling her she needed to hold it. That just pissed her off. I had one thing on my mind, and that was to find out if Glenn had anything to do with our friendly shooters. She may think differently, but I’m not so sure.

  “You don’t have to be so cold, you know,” she snaps bitterly.

  I open the door to the entrance, glancing over my shoulder. She’s taking her precious time. “Hurry up already.”

  She gives me the evil eyes. “You’re a real asshole!” Storming past me, she makes her way to the bathroom.

  “Blame it on the gunshot wound to the head.” I tread to the back.

  “Son,” my father calls me over the second I push through the door, like he can sense I am here. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet. The two of you will be working together.”

  Right now that’s the last thing on my mind. I stride toward my father, fuming. “I need to talk to you. Now,” I demand, ignoring the man on my left.

  Anger flashes across his features. “Excuse my son for his terrible manners,” he murmurs then turns his attention back to me. His gaze drops to the gun I hold firmly in my hand. He smirks. “Am I in trouble? Was the pussy not good enough for you?” Finally bringing his gaze up to my face, he pauses. “Have you been shot?” he asks, noticing the wound on my head. It’s hard to tell if he’s genuinely concerned or if this is all part of an act, but it’s safe to say it’s the latter.